A Trip to Montalcino

On Sunday we decided to take a day trip to Montalcino. We chose Montalcino because it was fairly easy to get to (only 37km from Siena-which FYI for those who get bus-sick like me is a 1+ hour bus ride for 20 some odd miles) and it is known for it's famous wine: Brunello di Montalcino. Montalcino is very very small and is perched some 567m above sea level which makes for some great views of the Crete Senesi (the term used to describe the area south of Siena). There is not too much to see, except for some amazing views, or to really do, except to have some Brunello wine!

Sant'Antimo is one of Tuscany's most beautiful abbeys and is not far from Montalcino. Unfortunately, without your own transportation, the abbey is another bus ride away-something I was not interested in after the first bus ride. Next time we go back, I think we are going to go with our own transportation so that we can visit the abbey.

Here is one of the many views off of Montalcino's main road: Via Mazzini


This is the Rocco, or castle. It was begun in 1361 by the Sienesi. Today it has a park inside and is home to an enoteca with a wide selection of very expensive wines from Montalcino. On Sunday there had been a bike race, which ended in Montalcino, so the inside of the Rocco was filled with bikers and on-lookers for the ending ceremony. Hopefully next time it will be quieter.


Once it started to rain, we went to Caffe Enoteca Il Leccio, pictured below so that we could have some Brunello.....


This is the wine Reed picked out:


We actually ended up having two bottles! We mis-read the bus station schedule and had a few extra hours to kill in Montalcino in the rain.....To read more about the wine, check out the post "Vini di Montalcino" on our other blog here.

The wine was very good! Here is the view from the Enoteca:


This is the view of the main road in Montalcino, which has a number of enoteca's and tourist related stores.


The surrounding countryside is so beautiful and the bus ride is really scenic if you don't happen to get sick from hurling around winding country roads. These are a few pictures we snapped at high speed as we drove home towards Siena.



Overall it was a great day in Montalcino and we can't wait to go back (not on the bus though!!)

7Euros, 388 steps and 102m

Tuesday I (Reed sat this one out since he had worked the night before) decided to climb the Torre Mangia (pictured to the left) which is 102m tall and was completed between 1338 and 1348. The tower was built to dominate the Sienese skyline and to be a symbol of the Republic's authority over any competing religious and aristocratic powers. The tower was the last great project of the commune before the Black Death decimated the population of Siena (from 100,000 to 60,000). The tower served a highly civic function: the bell was rung to order the opening of the city gates at dawn, the break for lunch, the end of the work at sunset, and the closing of the gates three hours later. Torre Mangia gets it name from one of the first bellringers, Giovanni di Balduccio a lazy, fat spendthrift nicknamed Mangiaguadagni "eat the profits."

This is the beginning. Lots of very cramped steps..........

....and more steps. There is only one way up and only 25 people are allowed to climb the tower at one time.....

This is one of the views from about half way up

View of the roof tops. Our apartment is out there somewhere.

View of the campo from above. You can see the Fonte Gaia ("Fountain of Joy") below, designed in the 15th century. The fountain's name comes from the festivities clebrating its innaguration in 1419, the climax of a long process that began in the 1340s, when masons managed to channel water into the campo.

The loooong way down

Oliver looking at the people and pigeons in il Campo

Il Campo at night. The beginnings of the Campo (which means field) were in 1293 when the Council of Nine (who ruled Siena from 1285-1355) began buying up land (actually the only piece of land still available), which was the site of the old marketplace and the old Roman forum. The piazza was completed in 1349 (a year after the Black Death) when the council laid nine segments of paving to commemorate their highly civic rule and to pay homage to the Virgin, the folds of whose cloak it was intended to symbolize (you can see the segments better in the fourth picture from the bottom).

The Wine Train

The Montalcino Express: A Wine Train from Siena to Montalcino

The Winestation Association has recently created a new train tour, The Montalcino Express, that runs from Siena to Montalcino every Saturday and Sunday. You can read more about the Wine Train here. The train departs from Siena's train station at 10 am and returns by 7 pm and costs 22 Euros per person. Once in Montalcino you have approximately 6 hours to explore the area including participating in wine tastings (at Robert Cirpresso's Winery), visiting Montalcino, and enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Val d'Orcia.

The WineStation also has another tour, the Treno del Vino Adventure, which costs 75 Euros per person. This train also departs Siena at 10 am and arrives by 7 pm. The tour includes a visit to the 12th-century Romanesque Abbey of Sant'Antimo, lunch at a historical wine cellar (includes wine tasting), and a visit to Montalcino and the town's wineries.

Reservations:
To book online, you can use the form found here
or.......
If you are in Siena, you can make a reservation in person at Agenzia Booking Siena at 56, Piazza del Campo
or......
by telephone at 800 913 231 (toll free from Italy)


For more information on Montalcino and the famous Brunello wine see our other post here.

Siena: A Video Overview

I found three short interesting videos on Siena: one is an overview of the city which will soon be our home; another of Il Campo; and the other is about one of the culinary specialties of Siena, Panforte. Kind of sounds like fruitcake. I guess we will find out soon! Read more about Panforte on our other blog, Ashley and Reed Eat Italy, here.

The Tuscany of Post Cards!

Lately I have been spending a lot of time reading about the area surrounding Siena, especially the Crete Senese (pronounced KREH-teh seh-NEH-seh). This area, south of Siena, is categorized by wide open fields and roads lined with Cypress Trees. The Tuscany of post cards! One of things that is so great about our future home is it's location. SlowTravel has at least two different articles on leisure trips that can be taken through this area. One article, seen here, talks about two specific "Cypress Lined Roads": the La Foce Cypress Lined Road and the Monticchiello Cypress Lined Roads. Also, on the way to Pienza (see post previous post about Pienza here) there is a beautiful farmhouse framed by cypress trees (see above picture). Maybe if we get to go to the Cheese Festival in Pienza, we can take our own picture!

The other article (seen here) lists a driving route through the Val d'Orcia, the area surrounding Pienza. Highlights of this drive include Montalcino, Montepulciano, Pienza, La Foce, and of course Siena!

I really am interested in visiting La Foce, and the picture below of the cypress lined road is the view from La Foce.

Magnifico!

Urban Trekking in Siena

The Siena Italy web site and the Commune di Siena web site provide great information of urban trekking in Siena. The commune web site has three routes through Siena with maps and highlights along the way.

Route 1: Alleys and Garden in the Shadow of the Tower
Through gardens and narrow alleys, we trace the history of the city and its people in a journey that alternates working class neighborhoods and rich patrician palaces, fountains, towers, arches, and craftsmen's workshops.



Route 2: Between Art and Nature
A journey among golden paintings and green countryside, in the city where exquisite masterpieces of the past unite with the magnificent landscapes of the present.

Route 3: Looking at Breathtaking Views

Following the route of the Via Francigena, the old pilgrimage route from northern Europe to Rome, like pilgrims of old we venture into mysterious alleys, among towers and castles, in search of the breathtaking views of the city of the Palio.

According to the Siena is Tuscany blog, each trek takes you through about one-third of the centro storico. The "Alleys and Gardens" trek takes you through the Terzo di San Martino, the "Between Art and Nature" trek takes you through the Terzo di Citta, and the "Looking at Breathtaking View" trek takes you through the Terzo di Camollia.

I definitely can't wait to try these out!

Festivo di Vino

In an effort to try to keep track of various events while we are in Italy, I've been posting the dates of upcoming festivals in and around Tuscany this fall. See also my post on truffle festivals and cheese festivals. I'm sure there are loads of wine festivals in Tuscany in the fall, but here are a few:



September 8-9: Chianti Classico wine tasting in Greve
September 15-16: Chianti Classico wine tasting in Panzano
September 22-23: Wine show and sampling in Impruneta

Cin Cin! (Cheers!)

Festa del Cacio in Pienza

On September 9, 2007 in Pienza Italy the Festa del Cacio in Pienza (or Cheese Festival) is taking place. The festival highlights Pecorino cheese (pictured at left), a sheep's milk cheese, and other local products. The word pecora, from which the name Pecorino derives, means sheep. Most pecorinos are aged and sharp. Pienza, the birthplace of Pope Pius II, is a small town near Siena that overlooks the Orcia River Valley. Best of all, Pienza is only 34 miles from Siena!

Inside Tuscany: National Olive Oil Week

The second week of February every year in Italy is National Olive Oil Week.

The week is a series of tastings and samplings and other events focused on olive oil. The event is organised by the Enoteca Italiana and Associazione Nazionale Città dell’Olio with Siena the epicenter of all activities!

There are meetings, seminars and tastings across Italy in such places as Acqui Terme and Barolo in Piedmonte, Berchidda in Sardinia, and Gradisca Isonzo in Friuli. Every year 10 fine restaurants are also chosen to host the best extra virgin olive oil from 10 regions of Italy.

The week aims to create new awareness both for tourists and operators in the sector, as well as to widen the appreciation of the 'culture of oil'. Yum!

Il Tartufo

The San Miniato Truffle Festival

San Miniato e la citta del tartufo. The San Miniato area of Tuscany is famous for producing white truffles renowned and exported all over the world. This area produces 25 percent of the Italian truffle crop annually. Each year, during the month of November, San Miniato and the surrounding villages organize a festival devoted to the gastronomically precious white truffle. This year (2007) the festival will be held on November 11, 18, and 25th.

San Miniato

Il tartufo (the truffle) is the underground fruit of a mushroom. There are many kinds, including non edible ones. The two most common are the Tartufo Bianco Pregiato (White Truffle) and the Tartufo Nero Pregiato (Black Truffle).

The white truffle is more highly valued than the black truffles found in Umbria and the Marche. In November 2006, a London restaurant paid $52,000 for a 2.4 pound Italian white truffle.

The Truffle Festival in San Miniato is free and takes place in the Piazza del Populo in San Miniato. For more information, contact the San Miniato Tourist Office (+39 0571.42745) or L'Associazione Tartufai (Truffle Association) in San Miniato (0571.42014).

2007 Calendar of Truffle Events

September 23 in Palaia

October 7 in Corazzano

October 14 in Balconevisi

October 28 in Montaione

November 4 in Volterra

November 11, 18, 25 in San Miniato